There are plenty of ingredients added to shampoos to treat dandruff – but one takes treatment to a new level. Check out our guide to some active ingredients and see why selenium sulphide could finally be the answer for you
You’ve probably read about them all – piroctone olamine, coal tar, ketoconazole and even reported natural remedies like coconut oil and lemon juice. But now there’s a line-up in the Head & Shoulders range with a different active that’s specially designed to fight stubborn dandruff.
PIROCTONE OLAMINE – RELIABLE & EFFECTIVE
The majority of the Head & Shoulders shampoos sold in this country contain piroctone olamine. Piroctone olamine is a tried and trusted anti-dandruff ingredient which is proven to tackle dandruff and keep you up to 100% flake-free when used regularly.
It’s also really versatile in shampoo formulas, allowing us to create many different shampoos you’ll love using, that give you the hair benefits you’re looking for. These two reasons -are why we’re proud to offer piroctone olamine in nearly all of our Head & Shoulders shampoos.
But for some people, piroctone olamine isn’t strong enough, so it’s time to go look for a stronger ingredient.
So here are the options:
SELENIUM SULPHIDE – THE GOLD STANDARD
The active ingredient in our Clinically Proven Solutions range is one of the strongest actives on the market and is designed to tackle stubborn dandruff.
So if you’ve tried piroctone olamine or other actives on the market, it’s probably time to upgrade to selenium sulphide.
Plus, in the Clinically Proven Solutions range it’s combined with moisturisers to leave the hair feeling soft and easy to comb, and our latest sulphur-blocking technology to leave your hair smelling fresh, not like medicine.
COAL TAR – REMEMBER THE SMELL?
Often marketed as a ‘stronger’ shampoo, if you’ve used it you’ll remember the strong smell. And your flakes probably came back too – it’s proven to work on the symptoms of dandruff, but it doesn’t work on the root cause, Malassezia, so you may not have gotten the flake relief you expected.
KETOCONAZOLE – THE PRESCRIPTION INGREDIENT
First introduced in prescription shampoos, it’s also pretty effective – but it’s often attracted criticism because ketoconazole shampoos can leave hair feeling dry.
NATURAL REMEDIES – OFTEN TESTED, NEVER PROVEN
There are so many natural remedies it would take a long time to name them all – olive oil, coconut oil, aspirin, mouthwash and even vodka are often mentioned.
The problem is, none of these “natural remedies” have been proven to work. Although regulatory bodies around the world have tested various anti-dandruff treatments, no natural remedy has been recognised as effective for the treatment of dandruff. Plus, you would exactly want your hair to smell like mouthwash or vodka, would you?